Boston Red Sox hit 2 grand slams in first 2 innings of ALCS Game 2; first team to do so in postseason

It didn’t take long for the Boston Red Sox to bounce back from their loss in the American League Championship Series opener, hitting two grand slams in the first two innings of Saturday’s Game 2 against the Houston Astros.

In doing so, they became the first team in MLB history to hit two grand slams in a postseason game, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

The Red Sox started the offensive pile-on in the first inning. After a Kyle Schwarber double and back-to-back walks to Rafael Devers and Alex Verdugo, J.D. Martinez hit a home run off Houston starter Luis Garcia over the right-field fence that put Boston up 4-0.

The Red Sox followed up in the second inning with a Kevin Plawecki walk, which preceded Garcia leaving the game due to injury.

After Houston brought in pitcher Jake Odorizzi, Red Sox second baseman Christian Arroyo singled on a ground ball to right field and Kiké Hernández singled on a line drive to left field. Devers then smashed a line-drive homer to right field, putting Boston on top 8-0 by the end of the second inning.

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, only five teams have ever hit two grand slams in the first two innings of a regular-season game, including the Los Angeles Dodgers this season.

Adding to the offensive onslaught was Hernandez, who hit his fifth home run in a five-game span in the fourth inning to put Boston up 9-0. The homer followed up on the Red Sox center fielder’s exceptional performance in Game 1, when he hit two home runs, a double and a single.